"Starving for Acceptance" details the rise in cases of childhood anorexia. Once considered a "rich teen's disease," eating disorders are now diagnosed in children as young as 5, and in all social classes. In part, the increased rate of diagnosis is the result of a better understanding of the genetic underpinnings of the condition (eating disorders often run in families and are linked to obsessive-compulsive tendencies), but experts believe it is also related to the emphasis on appearance in our culture. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, significant numbers of normal-weight and underweight kids are dieting: 16 percent of girls ages 8 to 11, and 19 percent of girls ages 12 to 15. Eating disorders have been documented as far back as the ancient Greeks, but the rising number of childhood anorexics is almost certainly related to the focus on weight today. Genetics loads the gun, and environment pulls the trigger.
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